


Are You Lost?

by nnooorraa



Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: Amsterdam, F/F, F/M, Isak POV, M/M, alternative universe, discontinued, skam au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-09
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-10-01 17:19:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10194812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nnooorraa/pseuds/nnooorraa
Summary: What kind of language is Dutch anyway?In one of the parallel universes there's an Isak who gets lost in Amsterdam.And who better than Even Bech Næsheim to show him the way?





	1. Amsterdam // 14:05

**Author's Note:**

> A super special thanks to [Lauren](http://soyellowcurtainsthen.tumblr.com), [Isi](http://isisisak.tumblr.com), [Sue](http://julieseven.tumblr.com), [Marianne](http://theleavesoflorien.tumblr.com), [Megan](http://coldharmonies.tumblr.com), [Daria](http://skamthough.tumblr.com), [Amelia](http://isakyucki.tumblr.com), [Sara](http://skamwright.tumblr.com), [Melissa](http://infiniteisakeven.tumblr.com) & [Vivi](http://gayvildeee.tumblr.com) for being amazing and proofreading this. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

It's ridiculous. They go to freaking Amsterdam and what do they do? Smoke weed, visit the red light district (Magnus was especially interested in this part), smoke weed, visit Madame Tussauds and… smoke weed. And you know Isak loves smoking, but the whole time? Nei. They can do that at home and he thought at least Jonas would agree with him on that, but guess what? Isak is now walking around Amsterdam alone, trying to figure out where the hell the Nemo science museum is and failing. What kind of language is Dutch anyway?  
  
He would ask for directions, but the last time he tried and asked a group of girls they just started giggling and told him he had "such a cute accent" and he felt so embarrassed that he walked away. It helps that a lot of the signs are in English, but there are just so many people it’s ridiculous. Everything is ridiculous.  
  
That’s how he ends up standing in front of some store called the Hema, trying to catch a free wifi signal long enough for him to figure out where the hell he is and how far he still has to go. Except Google maps or Apple maps or whatever navigation app he has been trying to open is not loading and it’s driving him so crazy, he’s cursing at his screen in Norwegian. Why couldn’t the boys just have come with him? Then he wouldn’t be in this mess, or at least not alone.  
  
“Are you lost?”, someone asks in Norwegian and for a second he’s sure he must have misheard it (he’s Magnus’ levels of desperate at this point after all) but then he notices a guy looking expectantly at him. Isak must be taking a little too long to answer, because the guy asks “You’re Norwegian, right?” in English this time and Isak barely manages to nod. _Damn, this guy is hot_.  
  
“I am! I mean… Yes, I’m lost,” he says in Norwegian.  
  
“Where do you need to be?” the guy asks with a smile and Isak takes a moment to contemplate whether or not he can tell someone who looks like that he wants to visit a museum which is _technically_ meant for kids.  
  
“Or are you not sure?” the guy asks.  
  
“Yes, I am, I need to go to um…” he hesitates. How much of his cool does he want to lose over this? “The Rijksmuseum?” Not that much apparently.  
“Really? Cool. I love it there. The Night Watch is so interesting. Did you know that the composition of that painting makes no sense? Rembrandt put the focus of the painting on- Actually, I’d love to give you a tour and tell you all about it in front of the actual painting? If you’re up for it?” Isak blinks at him a few times, completely lost on how to forms words. Did this guy really just ask him out on a date? _Probably not_.  
  
“I um.. don’t even know your name?” Isak mumbles stupidly and the guy immediately reaches out a hand.  
  
“Even Bech Næsheim.” It’s an invitation and Isak hesitates only a moment more before he accepts it and shakes Even’s hand.  
  
“Isak Valtersen.” Even smiles at him again.  
  
“So is that a yes then? Can I be your tour guide?" Isak knows he should probably say no, because stranger danger is a very real thing, and he's in a different country, and who is this Even guy anyway? But instead...  
  
"Yeah, sure. Be my tour guide." If this guy ends up cutting him up in pieces and putting him in a freezer he's going to haunt his friends until the day they die. The smile that erupts on Even's face is almost worth dying for anyway.  
  
"I've always wanted to give someone a tour in Norwegian in a different country. Come on let's catch the next tram," and he starts walking. Isak follows him, because fuck it he's in Amsterdam and he wanted to see the Rijksmuseum anyway (although he'll still have to visit the Nemo as well).  
  
"So where are you from?" Even asks him when he has caught up.  
  
"Oslo. You?"  
  
"Same! What school did you go to?"  
  
"Nissen. I'm starting my third year after the summer break."  
  
"You went to Nissen? I just finished my last year there!" Isak feels his heart drop to his stomach. If Even was at Nissen during the past year he must know about the incident. He must have heard the rumors about Isak that had spread like wildfire after he'd kissed a boy at some party (or so he had been told. He'd been so shit faced he couldn't even remember the guy’s face, let alone the kiss). Somehow Elias and his friends had been involved, too, and there had been a fight and...  
  
"Really? I've never seen you at school," Isak says, trying to sound nonchalant. Even beams at him. If he has any idea who Isak is, he doesn't let it on.  
  
"Me neither. It's such a small world, don't you think?" Yes. _Maybe_.  
  
The tram arrives and they get in. Even uses a card and watches as Isak fumbles with the machine that spurts out a €2 ticket at him. Then as they stand around (all spots are taken and for about the millionth time that day Isak wonders how there can be this many people here) there's a silence between them for the first time since they met. He doesn't want to look up, because he can feel Even’s eyes on him.  
  
"Great conversation," Even says eventually and Isak smiles awkwardly and nods. _What can they talk about_?  
  
"How long have you been in Amsterdam?" he finally asks.  
  
"Almost one and a half months. I'm going back to Oslo in two weeks," Even says. That's quite a long time for a holiday.  
  
"What have you been doing here?" Isak asks. Even looks out the window for a moment before answering.  
  
"A film project on the influence of the red light district on tourism. It's about how most people come here to get their dicks sucked while smoking weed legally," he says then and Isak nearly believes him except Even's eyes crinkle just a little bit at the corners, giving him away.  
  
"Nei, you're bullshiting me." Even grins.  
  
"Yeah. You almost believed me, didn't you?" Isak just rolls his eyes at him.  
  
"I really am here to do a film project, though," Even says, but before Isak can ask what it's really about, the tram stops and Even moves towards the door. Isak nearly trips on the stairs when he follows Even out, because of course he would.  
  
Just like any other place in Amsterdam it’s busy here, but because of the open field it feels a whole lot less crowded. They walk across the museum plein (which is what the field is called according to Even, who keeps telling him random facts about the area and the places he recommends Isak should visit).  
  
They walk past the fountain and Even starts walking on the edge. Isak just walks next to him, a little jealous of how Even doesn’t seem to care what others think of him. When they walk across the giant [I Amsterdam sign](https://thisisnotadvertising.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/i-amsterdam-museumplein.jpg?w=590&h=315) Isak makes a mental note to tell the boys about this place, because he vaguely remembers Mahdi wanting to take a picture at either this sign or the one on Schiphol.  
  
“We only have two hours before the museum closes so it’s going to be a quick tour. Are you okay with that?” Even asks. Isak just nods. A little voice in the back of his head is yelling at him to _calm down. This is not a date. This is just… One Norwegian stranger giving another Norwegian stranger a tour within an hour of meeting each other._ He almost laughs at how surreal this situation is, but then they’re walking into the museum and waiting in line to get their tickets.  
  
“Hey Even! Back so soon?” the girl behind the counter asks and Isak smiles, because of course Even is the type of person to know people everywhere.  
  
“Hey Lotte! Yes. One ticket for my friend, please. And here’s my card.” The girl rolls her eyes at him.  
  
“I’ve seen that card of yours like fifteen times now, I know it’s valid.” Before Isak can grab his wallet, Even has already paid and is dragging him further into the museum.  
  
“What is so special about that card?” Isak asks and Even hands him the card in his hands. It says museumkaart and mentions Even’s full name, his birth date (He’s only two years older than Isak) and a bunch of random numbers and Dutch words.  
  
“Okay, but what does it do?” Isak asks.  
  
“It’s a card you pay for once a year that allows you free entrance to a bunch of museums all around The Netherlands,” Even says as he takes it back and puts it in his wallet.  
  
“You can go to any museum in The Netherlands for free and you decide to go here over fifteen times? What makes this museum so special?” Isak asks. Even just smiles.  
  
“You’ll see.” 

Even leads him through the building and Isak just follows, listening to him speak and explain interesting things they pass. Even’s words give sense to the art and exhibitions they walk through, and if he isn’t talking about what’s in the museum he talks about the museum itself. It’s a beautiful building, with wide open spaces, columns, ceilings and when Even says, “the museum itself is as much of a piece of art as the art it beholds,” Isak can’t agree more, even though it sounds pretentious as fuck.  
  
This feeling only grows stronger when they get to [the room](https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/general-information/building-and-presentation/night-watch-gallery) with The Night Watch. The museum closes in about 15 minutes and apart from an old lady who is sitting on one of the couches and the museum guard, there’s no one there. Isak barely notices them. The room is big, with paintings on every smokey grey wall. Above the walls there’s an inscription, leading to the centre piece: The Night Watch, which is flanked by two stone pillars with golden statues above them.  
  
“Don’t you think it’s beautiful?” Even asks as he looks at him expectantly.  
  
“Yes,” Isak breathes out.  
  
“You see what I meant earlier? The composition of the painting makes no sense if you stand in front of it. You see how he put a lot of the focus on the girl instead of the officers? This is unusual, especially in a commissioned painting, because you expect the main focus to be on those who commissioned it.” Even pauses and Isak can’t stop watching him.  
  
“Only once you know what the symbolism means of the girl you realise the reason there’s so much focus on her is because of what she’s wearing. You see the dead chicken and the pistol hidden behind it? Both those are symbols for the people who commissioned the painting. This kind of makes her their mascot. I love subtleties like that.” Isak has never met anyone this passionate about anything and he loves how it shines through on Even’s face.  
  
When Even’s eyes meet his own, he quickly looks away, studying the painting. Art has never really been Isak’s thing, but Even makes him want it to be. God, that sounds so gay.  
  
A voice over the intercom announces the museum will be closing in five minutes.  
  
“Time to go,” Even says. They walk all the way back to the exit. Even goes up to the desk for a second to say goodbye to Lotte, while Isak just awkwardly waits for him. He’s not ready for this day to be over. He wants to get to know Even more, hear him talk more. _See him smile more_.  
  
When Even joins him again, they walk out of the museum together and just stand in front of the exit. Even bounces on the heels of his feet slightly and opens his mouth to speak, but Isak beats him to the punch.  
  
“Do you maybe want to get something to eat together?” He breathes out the sentence as one word and Even raises his eyebrows amusedly. _Fuck, how can he be into this guy so much already? He just met him. He’s never like this._  
  
“Yes. What do you have in mind?” Instant relief.  
  
“You decide. You’re more familiar with this city than I am.” Even thinks about it for a second and then nods.  
  
“Are you up for Argentinian?”  
  
“Sure.”  
  
“Great. I know the perfect place.” And that’s how they end up in the same tram back to where they met. It’s rush hour and the tram is so crowded they only stand a few inches apart. Even is silent and Isak is so focused on not losing his balance and not looking up that he keeps quiet as well. When they reach their stop, Isak manages to get out without tripping for once.  
  
“I feel like I’ve been talking a lot, so tell me something about you. What made you decide to visit Amsterdam?” Even asks as they walk next to each other.  
  
"I don't know. Mostly because my friends wanted to, I guess," Isak admits.  
  
"So you're just following your friends to another country?"  
  
"What? No. Amsterdam is just one of those places you should visit once in your life, you know. So we decided to go, because where else can you smoke legally?" Even raises an eyebrow at him.  
  
"Ah, so you and your friends are a bunch of stoners?"  
  
"Nei! I mean yes we smoke, but- actually no, I'm not going to defend myself on this to the person who told me they're creating a documentary on people getting their dicks sucked while getting high." Even laughs at that.  
  
"Fair enough." Before Isak can ask Even what his film project is actually about, Even already asks him the next question: "So where are these friends you followed all the way to Amsterdam?" Isak just rolls his eyes.  
  
"Getting stoned at the apartment we’re renting probably." He's suddenly happy he had to go out exploring on his own today, because this day would have played out way differently with his friends there. When he'd been outed to the whole school, after the incident, his friends had been by his side the whole time, and he was thankful for that, but ever since everything had calmed down a little Magnus had seemingly made it his sole mission to embarrass him. Magnus had started to randomly point out guys and yell "Do you think this guy is hot, Isak?" and if he wasn't doing that he was asking him questions in public that you should never ask anyone, even in private. It was horrifying to Isak, but Jonas and Mahdi found it hilarious and actually encouraged Magnus sometimes making it so much, much worse. They would have had a field day with Even.  
  
"And you're not with them because...?"  
  
"We can smoke at home whenever we want, but there's so much to explore here we don't have at home. If I'm in a different country I guess I want to experience that country and do things or see things I've never seen before." Even hummed at that and then stopped in front of a restaurant. He pushed open the door, letting Isak go in first.  
  
"Hey Even! Couldn't stay away, could you?" a guy says as he comes walking towards them.  
  
"Emmanuel! Where else am I going to go to get the best steak of the Netherlands?" Even answers in English with a grin. Emmanuel clasps a hand over his heart.  
  
"You flatter me, my friend. Who have you brought with you today?" Emmanuel’s curious eyes are now focused on him, making Isak feel a little self conscious.  
  
"Emmanuel, this is Isak. He's from Oslo like me. Isak, this is Emmanuel, the humble owner of this establishment." Even grins as Emmanuel excitedly shakes Isak's hand.  
  
"Isak! How nice to meet you! Let me get you two a table!" Emmanuel leads them to a table in the back, where it's a little quieter even though the restaurant is packed.  
  
"You have a lot of friends here," Isak says when Emmanuel has gone to find them a menu.  
  
"I like meeting new people, especially in a city like Amsterdam. Everyone has an interesting story here," Even says with a small smile.  
  
"So what are your plans after you've graduated Nissen next year?"  
  
"I want to study biochemistry at the University of Oslo."  
  
"Really?" Even asks, looking surprised.  
  
"What? I love science. There's so much we still have to discover."  
  
"That's cool! Did you know there's a science museum here in Amsterdam? It's called the Nemo Science Museum. You should check it out! I've been there like three times now and somehow I still learn something new every time." Isak feels his cheeks heat up and he's suddenly happy the light is pretty dim in the corner where they're sitting. _Are you kidding me._  
  
"Yes, actually. I was planning to visit that, too. Maybe we could go together sometime?" The last part crosses his lips before he can think about it, but Even just smiles and nods.  
  
"Yeah, that would be fun." Emmanuel brings over the menus and asks them what they want to drink. Isak half expects Even to order wine or something, but instead he orders water and Isak does, too.  
  
"So why biochemistry?" Even asks and Isak answers and that's how they spend the rest of the night. Getting to know each other, while they eat the best damn steak of The Netherlands. 

  


It's half past one by the time they walk to the tram stop. There are still people everywhere, but it feels so much less cramped this late at night. Even is explaining which trams Isak should take to get back to the apartment he and his friends are renting and then they've reached the stop. The tram he needs to take arrives in 3 minute according to the sign so they just stand back a little and wait.  
  
"This was nice," Even says softly and for a moment Isak thinks he's going to kiss him, but then Even continues. "It was nice talking Norwegian for the first time in over a month." And Isak just nods, because what else can he do?  
  
"Yeah..." Even looks at him with an expression he can't quite read.  
  
"We should do this again," he says then.  
  
"Yes. Definitely." And Isak hopes it wasn't too quick, and then there's another moment where Even is looking at his lips and then looks him in the eye and _just kiss me, just kiss me, just kiss me_. But then Isak's tram is there and he just kind of awkwardly waves at Even and gets on and _what the hell just happened_?  
When Isak's heart has stopped racing he pulls his phone from his pocket. He hasn't really checked it since they were at the Rijksmuseum. There are a bunch of text and missed calls from his friends.

15:46 | Jonas: hey man where are you? 

17:23 | Jonas: we're getting take out, should we save you some?

19:39 | Mahdi: hey dude where are you? 

21:15 | Magnus: Where are you? Are you sucking some guys dick? 

22:42 | Missed call Jonas 

22:47 | Jonas: We're going out with some girls Magnus found on Tinder. Want to meet up somewhere?

00:23 | Jonas: Isak, where the hell are you? 

01:00 | Missed call Magnus 

01:03 | Mahdi: yo dude, where are you? We're getting a little worried. 

01:16 | Missed call Jonas 

01:18 | Jonas: Isak if you don't answer within the next 30 minutes we're giving you up as a missing person

01:23 | Missed call Mahdi 

01:24 | Missed call Jonas 

01:29 | Jonas: Isak? 

01:38 | Isak: chill guys. I'm on my way back to our place now. My phone died. 

Jonas calls immediately.  
  
"Isak, what the hell! Where have you been all this time?" Jonas starts the second he picks up.  
  
"Just exploring the city. Where are you guys?"  
  
"Alone?" Jonas asks.  
  
"Yes. Are you at the apartment?" He kind of knows the answer already from the background noises.  
  
"No, we're still out with the girls from Tinder." In the background he hears Magnus yell, "They're so hot, Isak, you won't believe!" in Norwegian. Isak rolls his eyes.  
"When will you guys be back? I'm almost at the apartment."  
  
"Might be a while." He can almost hear the grin on Jonas' face. His boys are going to get laid tonight. Good for them.  
  
"Ok. Have fun." He hangs up and stares out the window for a while until he reaches his stop. 

Back at the apartment Isak is glad he's alone. He puts on sweatpants and goes straight to bed, staring at the ceiling and turning his phone around in his hand.  
  
He's not ready to tell his friends about Even and what they did today. He needs to process it for himself first, because did he really just follow a complete stranger around an unknown city? Just because he was hot and spoke the same language as him? _Yes. Yes he did_. But it had been more than worth it. Even is… beautiful, amazing, funny and so, so passionate. He could listen to him talk for hours and Even had seemed so genuinely interested in what Isak had to say. Isak wasn’t used to that. And he thinks, _yeah maybe Even isn’t crushing on him but that doesn’t mean he can’t crush on Even_.  
  
He wants to text Even to thank him for the tour. To maybe set a new date. To see him again. And then he realizes something crucial. Something that makes his stomach drop...  
  
"Fuck me." He throws his phone to the side. He forgot to ask Even for his number. He fucking forgot to ask Even for his number. _Fuck_.


	2. Amsterdam // 10:45

Isak has a headache. It’s one of those headaches you get when you’ve stayed up all night and you were running on sleep deprivation already and… He kind of hates his friends right now. 

The boys came home about 15 minutes ago and the first thing they did was drag Isak’s mopey ass out of bed so they could tell him all about their nightly adventures. They’re so happy to have gotten laid and normally Isak is fine with listening to their very straight sex stories, but today all he wants to do is go back to bed and mope around a bit more. 

After realising he forgot to ask for Even’s number, Isak had spent hours going through various social media to find him. Really, how hard could it be to find someone online? Very hard apparently, because Even is a literal ghost on the internet, except for this one video from two years ago on Bakka. _At least Isak knows who Even’s favourite director is now_.

The memories of the day before feel more like a dream than reality and Isak has to keep reminding himself that yes, all that actually happened. He actually met someone who he clicked with pretty much instantly. And he was stupid enough to let it slip through his fingers just like that. _Fuck_. 

It takes Isak not laughing at Magnus’ naivety in the bedroom for Jonas to notice something is up. He bumps his shoulder against Isak’s.

“Are you okay, man?” Isak just looks at him, his head resting in his hand. _No, of course I’m not okay. I found a boy I fell head over heels for and I forgot to ask for his number, because I’m an idiot. How do you think I feel?_ And even though he doesn’t say those sentences out loud, he still feels a little guilty for thinking them. Jonas is just worried, he doesn’t deserve to be snapped at. 

“Hangover,” he finally says and he sees Magnus perking up next to Mahdi. 

“What did you actually do yesterday?” Magnus asks. Isak groans and hides his face in his arms so he doesn’t have to look at any of them. 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Isak says. If it was just him and Jonas he probably would have told him what was going on, but with Mahdi and especially Magnus there he just can’t. 

Isak hears Magnus draw a breath of surprise. “Did some guy fu- ouch! Dude, what the fuck. What was that for?” _Case in point_. Isak will be forever grateful to whoever just saved him from whatever question Magnus was about to ask next. 

It would be nice if his head stopped hurting now. 

Jonas sets down a glass of water and a painkiller in front of Isak as if he had read his mind and Isak gulps it all down quickly. He hates the taste of painkillers. 

“After you disappeared last night we decided we’re going to do touristy crap with you from now on,” Mahdi says. 

“Okay.” If his friends had told him they’d be exploring Amsterdam together yesterday he would have been so happy. Now he just doesn’t really care. _God, he needs to snap out of this. His friends deserve better_.

“So what are we doing today?” Isak asks, trying to sound at least a little more excited about the prospect of spending time with his friends. 

“The girls from last night were talking about a zoo? We could check that out?” Magnus asks, hesitantly watching Jonas. Isak looks at Jonas, too. He hasn’t forgotten Jonas’ rant about the red light district yet ( _“Do you guys even know how much human trafficking goes on behind the scenes of these places? It’s disgusting._ ”) and zoos sound like something Jonas would have a very strong opinion about. 

“I’ve never been to a zoo before,” Mahdi says.

“Me neither,” Isak admits. Oslo only has a reptile park, which is cool, but Isak has never seen a lion in real life and he really wants to go. He's already trying to come up with arguments on why zoos, if properly funded, aren’t that bad ( _Did you know they can actually save species from extinction through conservation efforts?_ ) when Jonas just nods. 

“Yeah, sure. Let’s go see an elephant or something.” 

They take the tram to Artis, which is what the zoo is called. Isak can’t stop thinking about how close he’d been standing to Even on the tram the day before, and how he kind of wishes he could have had the courage to actually look up at Even and… Jonas is staring at him with a slightly worried expression. 

“Are you okay?” he asks carefully and Isak just nods.

“I’m fine. Just hungover. Don’t worry.” His headache still isn’t completely gone, which makes him feel at least a little less guilty about lying. 

The rest of the day offers a big enough distraction for Isak to get Even off his mind (Okay, that’s a lie. He still can’t stop thinking about Even for longer than a few minutes, but it’s an improvement from constantly thinking about him, so Isak gladly takes it.). 

The second they walk past the gates Magnus proclaims himself their tour guide and the boys let him, mostly because he was the first to take the map the lady at the desk handed them. He leads them past a bunch of monkeys ( _Is that you on the rock over there, Magnus?_ ) to the lions and Isak can’t look away from them. 

The lions are lazily laying around in the sun and it gives Isak such a rush to see these animals in real life, especially after all the documentaries he has seen about them on TV. That feeling only increases when one of the lions lets out a roar much louder than he imagined it would be. 

It doesn’t take long for the others to want to go on, so Isak soon finds himself looking at a bunch of sleepy owls who stare at them with one eye open as they walk past. He wonders if Even likes owls.

“Did you know that while owls are seen as a sign for wisdom, they’re actually quite dumb?” Magnus says and they all kind of stop and stare at him, because out of all of them Magnus is the least likely to come up with random facts like that. 

“What? I love birds of prey,” Magnus says as he looks up at the owls. “Especially owls, because they can turn their heads pretty much all the way around. You know, like that girl in _The Exorcist._ ” 

One of the owls lets out a screech and Mahdi nearly jumps out of his skin. The boys can’t stop laughing. 

“Birds scare the crap out of me, okay?” he grumbles before walking off. They’re still laughing as they follow him.

Next up are the elephants and Isak is surprised to find they are a lot smaller than he thought they would be. This time it’s Jonas who is nerding out about the animals they’re looking at. 

“Did you know elephants have complicated familial structures with a matriarch at the top? They travel miles and miles every day using routes that are passed on through generations, and-“ Isak zones out, because he’s heard Jonas talk about elephants for as long as he remembers watching documentaries on animal planet with him. 

Magnus remembers his tour guide duties and takes them to the giraffe enclosure. They’re held in a pretty big area together with zebras, ostriches and a few other animals you’d find in the savannah. They’re beautiful, but as a giraffe walks past, he remembers Even joking about how he’s “as tall as a giraffe” the day before and suddenly Isak can’t really enjoy them as much. 

They’re not entirely sure how they got there, but next, they find themselves in the butterfly pavilion. The boys are trying to play it cool, but honestly? They’re all pretty excited to see butterflies bigger than their hands flap around. Their size just seem so surreal. 

Magnus is high key paranoid he’s going to step on one of the butterflies and it rubs off on the rest of them so they end up walking slowly and watching every step they take. A little girl even laughs at them because they look so ridiculous. 

When one of the butterflies lands on Jonas’ face they lose it, because Jonas looks so much like [the cat who doesn’t know what to do with the butterfly on its paw](http://i.imgur.com/zhQIJIt.gif) Isak has to film it. 

“Did you know they have a planetarium here?” Jonas asks later as they’re watching the penguins wobble around awkwardly on land, and move fluidly and with confidence under water. 

“A planetarium? What? Where?” Isak asks, and Jonas nods, handing him one of the booklets, and there it is. There’s a show starting in about 20 minutes called ‘Space Trip’ that looks promising. 

“Are you guys up for going to the planetarium?” Jonas asks, instantly recognising his best friend’s excitement.

“I don’t know, man. Space kind of freaks me out,” Magnus says. Mahdi only has to look at Isak for a second to catch on to his enthusiasm. Space is one of Isak's most favourite subjects in life. There’s just so much endless possibility. 

“You two go, before Isak’s inner space nerd explodes in his pants. I’ll stay with Magnus,” Mahdi says and Isak doesn’t have to be told twice. He practically drags Jonas with him. 

They have to wait in line for a few minutes before they are let into the room. The huge screen is already showing moving images of space and Isak stops in his tracks to gaze up, making Jonas bump into him. 

“You are such a nerd,” Jonas says laughing as he drags Isak with him to sit down. 

“Do I have to remind you about your elephant speech? _Did you know elephants have complicated familial structures with a matriarch at the top_?” Isak says mockingly, but really he loves having Jonas to nerd out to about science stuff. 

Before Jonas can retaliate, the lights dim and the show begins. _Isak is in love_. 

The show starts with the different planets in our solar system and what makes them special but uninhabitable for humans and other creatures. Then it goes further into space, in search of planets that could possibly sustain life. 

When they land on the recently discovered earth-like planets, Isak’s day is made. Especially when they note how the planets were discovered by a group of scientists based in Belgium and not by NASA as so many media outlets have claimed (which is a major pet peeve of Isak’s, because credit should go to those who deserve it). 

When the show ends Isak is bursting with excitement to talk about it. 

“So what did you think?” Jonas asks, laughing at his expression. 

“Can you imagine all the endless possibilities of those earth like planets? I mean, they could have completely different laws of physics for all we know! And can you imagine that maybe there are humanoid creatures like us looking up at earth, while we look at their planets? Maybe there’s even some alien talking about earth with their best friend like we are now. It’s so amazing!” 

Isak only stops talking when they’ve exited the planetarium and are sitting on a park bench across from the camel enclosure. Jonas texts Mahdi and Magnus to see where they’re at. Then he puts down his phone and looks inquiringly at Isak.

“So, what’s up with you being more grumpy than usual today?” Jonas asks. _Even_. The planetarium had distracted Isak enough to temporarily forget about him, but now it all comes rushing back. He hesitates only a moment longer before finally telling Jonas. 

“I met a guy yesterday.” Saying it out loud somehow makes Even more real. 

“What? Like on Grindr or some shit?” Isak rolls his eyes. 

“Nei, um… on the streets actually,” he admits and Jonas lets out a laugh, but then he suddenly becomes more serious. 

“Wait, this guy didn’t like… hurt you or anything?” he then asks very carefully. Isak would laugh at the idea, but Jonas looks so sincere. 

“What? No, oh god, no. Nothing like that. He heard me yell at my phone in Norwegian and-“ Isak explains about how a stranger had pretty much whisked him off his feet and shown him things he would have never seen on his own. 

Isak tells Jonas about the museum, about the awkwardness, about dinner, about how interesting Even is as a person. He also tells Jonas about how he had the feeling Even wanted to kiss him before he had to get the tram. How much Isak had wanted that to happen. 

And of course he tells Jonas about forgetting to ask Even for his number, and then spending the whole night trying to find a trace of him online without much luck. 

“Huh. Is he hot?” is all Jonas says when Isak is done. 

“Seriously? That’s what you ask first?” Jonas shrugs with a smile. 

“Ja, I don’t know what else to ask, man. I can’t believe you forgot to ask him for his number, though.” Isak groans. 

“Me neither.” 

Magnus texts them to meet him and Mahdi at the wolf enclosure, so they get up to find their friends.

“You could always try Vilde. See what she and the girls can find out about this guy,” Jonas suggests. Isak shrugs. 

“I’m not that desperate yet,” he says. If Vilde gets involved, there are going to be rumours. Isak just met this guy yesterday. He isn't ready for anyone except Jonas to know about something that might all be in his head. _It probably is_.

By the time they’re at the tram stop Isak’s head is pounding again. When the tram arrives and they have to stand again Isak rests his head against one of the poles and closes his eyes. The cold metal helps a little bit and he can just tune out the sound of his friends talking about what they saw at the aquarium. All he wants to do is sleep. 

When the tram halts at the fourth stop Isak opens his eyes again, only for them to land on… Even? 

Even is casually leaning against the railing of the stop opposite to theirs. He looks good, his hair styled just right and a joint tucked behind his ear. He doesn’t see Isak, too busy with his phone to notice anything around him. 

Fuck, Isak needs to move. He needs to get out of this tram. But, before he can take a step in the direction of the doors the tram is moving again. Jonas looks at him with a puzzled expression. 

“What just happened?” he asks. _That’s a good question_.

“I just saw Even.” _And lost him again_.

“What? Really?"

“Who the fuck is Even?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaahhh I can't believe how much inspiration I have for this story to be honest. I've already written 1481 words for the next chapter, which is going to be much longer than this one :)
> 
> Thank you to everyone who gave this story kudos or commented!! You're all amazing!!!


	3. Amsterdam // 15:59

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I um- Do you have Even's number by any chance? I forgot to ask him for it two days ago and-"

“We're out of food,” Mahdi says as he slams the fridge door closed. 

“So? Let’s just get take out,” Magnus says from the couch. 

“If you pay,” Isak says, because really they’ve been spending a lot of their money already and Isak doesn’t want to run out of money before the holiday is over. 

“Rock, paper, scissors?” Jonas asks, completely ignoring Magnus’ suggestion all together. Rock, paper, scissors has been their default way of figuring out who has to do what chore this holiday, and so far Isak has never lost to great frustration of the others. They all raise their fists in the air and on Jonas’ count they do the thing, and… Isak loses with three rocks versus his scissors. _Ugh. Cheaters._

“Fine. What do we need?” The boys seem surprised he just gives in like that, but honestly Isak needs some alone time. He wants to mope about the Even situation without feeling guilty for accidentally snapping at his friends. 

“I can come with you?” Jonas asks. The day before when Magnus asked him who the fuck Even was, Jonas had saved him from having to answer by randomly changing the subject and Isak was grateful, but at this point he can’t stand being near any of them. 

“Nah. It’s fine.” The boys bicker about what they need to get for another half hour before Isak can finally step outside. The local grocery store called the Albert Hijen isn’t really that far away, but at Isak’s pace it still takes him five minutes longer than normal to get there. 

Once inside he instantly regrets his decision to not put up a fight or let Jonas come with him. Everything is in Dutch, which is still a language he doesn’t speak a word of. And sure, some of the words kind of look Norwegian or English, but what the hell do the words aardappelzetmeel and knolselderij mean and why are they on the list of ingredients for what he assumes is pasta sauce? 

“Hey! Isak right?” He hears someone say, and even though they pronounced Isak’s name wrong he looks up. He meets the gaze of Emmanuel, the owner of the Argentinian restaurant where he had dinner with Even, and Isak feels hope flutter up in his chest. 

“Hey! Yes, Isak,’ he says, pronouncing his name the right way. “Emmanuel right?” Emmanuel nods with a smile. 

“How are you, my friend? Is Amsterdam treating you right?” 

"Yeah. It has been fun." Isak isn't sure what else to say. Thankfully Emmanuel doesn't seem to mind. 

"Great to hear you're having a good time over here! I have to go, but nice seeing you again!" he says and Isak is scrambling for a way to not lose this one connection he has to Even.

"Wait! Emmanuel!" Emmanuel turns around and once again Isak finds himself feeling self- conscious under his curious gaze.

"Yes?" This is the moment. This is probably his last chance. He breathes in deep. _This is going to be a long shot, but..._

"I um- Do you have Even's number by any chance? I forgot to ask him for it two days ago and-" 

"Let me find it for you." Emmanuel reaches for his phone and scrolls through his contacts. "You know, I’d normally never do this, but you two looked like you have a real click and I'm a sucker for love, so..." Isak can feel his cheeks turn bright red. Had he really been that obvious? 

Emmanuel gives him Even’s number. It’s a Dutch number, which doesn’t surprise Isak that much considering how ingrained Even had seemed into Dutch culture. Emmanuel wishes him well and then he’s gone, leaving Isak to process the fact that he has Even’s number now. He has a way to reach out to Even. 

Isak has never done the groceries this fast. It’s as if he’s walking on clouds and the fact that everything is in Dutch doesn’t bother him anymore. He doesn’t know how he’s going to do it, but he’s going to talk to Even again today and that’s enough to get him in a better mood. 

When Isak gets back to the apartment Mahdi and Jonas volunteer to cook (thankfully, because both Magnus and Isak are bad at cooking), which means Magnus has to do the dishes when they’re done. It takes everything in Isak not to explode and tell them that _hey, I met this guy and his name is Even and I kind of thought I lost him forever, but now I have his number and…_ But he doesn’t. Not yet at least. Not until they’re eating dinner. 

“I have Even’s number,” he says, looking at Jonas.

“Ha! How?” Jonas asks him in excited disbelief. 

“Who is Even?” Mahdi and Magnus ask at the same time. Isak tells them a more summarised version than what he told Jonas, ending with, “and then I asked Emmanuel for Even’s number and he gave it to me.” He purposely skips over what else Emmanuel said. 

“Wow. I mean, that’s almost too perfect, bro! So what are you going to text him?” Magnus asks and it surprises Isak. He figured Magnus would joke or ask an inappropriate question. Not this. _He really needs to start giving Magnus more credit_. 

“I don’t know. I don’t want to look like a creep, you know,” Isak says, staring at his phone screen where he already has iMessage open. 

“I feel you on that, man! But based on what you told us it does sound like this dude might be into you,” Mahdi says and Magnus nods along with him.

“Just tell him how you got his number and send,” Jonas says. The others agree. Isak finds Even’s name and opens a new chat. His thumbs hover over his keyboard for only a little bit longer before he starts typing. 

18:04 | Isak: Hei! This is Isak. I got your number from Emmanuel.

He doesn’t hit sent and instead reads the message out loud to his friend first.

“Should I add anything else?” he asks hesitantly. 

“Didn’t you say you two already sort of made plans to do other stuff together? What was it? The namo museum or something?” Magnus asks.

“The Nemo science museum, yes,” Isak corrects him. “I don’t think I just want to ask him out like that, though.” 

“Maybe make a joke about forgetting to ask his number instead?” Jonas suggests. 

“Or maybe you could say you had a great time when you met?” Mahdi says. Out of all three this is the suggestion Isak likes most so he starts typing. 

18:13 | Isak: Hei! This is Isak. I got your number from Emmanuel. I had a great time last Tuesday. 

He hits send before he can change his mind, locks his phone and puts it on the table. Isak’s head is buzzing. _What if it’s the wrong number? What if Even doesn’t want to talk to him? What if Even thinks he’s a stalker now?_

Isak’s phone goes off and a notification lights up the screen. 

18:14 | Even: Me too. We should do it again some time 

“That was quick,” Mahdi says amused. 

“That was _really_ quick. This guy is definitely into you," Magnus adds excitedly.

"Now you have to ask him out," Jonas says with a grin. 

18:17 | Isak: Are you doing anything tomorrow? 

And again Isak locks his screen and puts his phone on the table. This time it takes longer and Isak feels like he's about to explode. He has never asked someone out before and he's not even sure if this counts, but that doesn't make it less scary. 

18:19 | Even: I'm filming all day tomorrow

Oh. But before anyone can react another notification comes in.

18:19 | Even: But I'm free tonight if you want to hang out 

The boys whoop, while Isak just stares at his screen. He's going to see Even tonight. 

He types, deletes and retypes his next text about twenty times before he hits send.

18:24 | Isak: Where do you want to meet up? 

It takes a few more texts back and forth for them to agree to meet at the Rozengracht tram stop in about an hour, so they can hang out over at Even's house. When Isak realized they were going to be hanging out at Even's place his thoughts got reduced to a bunch of exclamation marks, until Jonas bumped his shoulder to snap him out of it. 

Now Isak is turning his suitcase upside down, trying to figure out what clothes to wear. He wants to look good, but not so much that it’s noticeable he put in the effort. It takes him a while, but he finally settles on his favourite grey shirt, darker jeans and Jonas’ ( _but let’s be real, it’s more Isak’s_ ) red snapback. 

When he steps into the living room the guys woot.

“You look good, man,” Mahdi says. 

“You’re definitely going to get laid tonight,” Magnus says approvingly. They all roll their eyes at him. 

“We’re through our weed stash and I lost rock, papers, scissors again, so I’m coming with you to the tram stop,” Jonas announces. 

It’s time to go. Isak looks in the mirror one more time before they leave. _He’s so nervous and excited at the same time._

On the way to the tram stop Jonas keeps giving him looks and after about ten times Isak can’t take it anymore.

“Why do you keep giving me that look?” he asks. Jonas hesitates and then says, “You need to take the snapback off.” 

“What? Why? What’s wrong with it?” Isak asks, suddenly super self conscious about it. He has worn this snapback so many times and always looks good with it on his head. _Or, at least he thought he did?_

“You use your snapbacks as a way to hide. If you really like this guy and want to be open about it you should take it off.” Isak realises it’s kind of true what Jonas is saying. _He always feels safe with his snapback or something else on his head. It’s how he keeps the world out._ And with that he also realises he needs to take it off.

He hands over his snapback to Jonas and suddenly feels a lot more vulnerable than before. Jonas bumps his shoulder with his fist.

“It’s going to be okay, man. You have a lot more game than you think. Plus, this Even guy really does seem into you,” Jonas says and Isak just shrugs and smiles. _Let’s hope so_.

Jonas’ tram leaves before his, so Isak ends up standing on the platform on his own for a few minutes. A part of him just wants to go back to the apartment and hide under his covers. _It might not even be a date, stop being so nervous! Just have fun. You can do this._

The tram arrives and it’s about six stops before they reach the Rozengracht. Every time the tram comes to a halt it’s like the butterflies in his stomach get worse. _Not a date, not a date, not a date_. By the time there’s one stop left before he needs to get out Isak is about to throw up. Then his phone goes off. 

19:31 | Even: I’m at the tram stop. See you soon

it’s as if all nervousness just flows out of his body. Even is there, he’s waiting for Isak. _He wouldn’t be there if he didn’t like you at least as a friend._

Two minutes later he’s stepping out of the tram and when he sees Even leaning against the railing again (this time within actual reach) his heart flutters and he can’t suppress a smile. Even looks up from his phone and immediately returns Isak’s smile. 

“Halla,” Even says. 

“Halla,” Isak answers. 

“You look good,” Even says casually, but before Isak can react in any way he already continues, “come on, let’s go. The apartment I’m staying at is in one of the side streets here.” And he starts walking so Isak just follows him. 

They end up in front of one of those manors turned into apartment complexes that Amsterdam is full of. It’s beautiful, with a balcony in front of every other window that looks out over the canal. 

“I think my roommates are all gone,” Even says before he opens the door for Isak. So we’re alone. Even takes his shoes off and Isak follows suit. They have to go up three flights of stairs, before they reach Even’s room. 

“Sorry it’s a little messy. i’ve been so busy with my film project I haven’t had much time to clean up.” When Isak steps inside Even closes the door behind him. 

Even’s room is bright and much bigger than Isak’s room in Oslo. _It’s a whole lot less messy than his room as well_. Even walks into the tiny kitchen area. 

“Do you want something to drink?” He asks. 

“Yeah, sure, what do you have?” While Even goes through the available options ( _which, really are quite a lot._ ) Isak looks around the room curiously. 

There isn’t much furniture in the room. Just a king sized bed, few tables with filming equipment scattered around and three chairs, two of which are covered in clothes. It smells like Even though. _Like clean clothes and lavender and being outside on a warm summer night (and let’s be real, also a little like boy sweat, but Isak ignores that)_. 

All the green painted walls have cartoon like drawings pinned to them, except on closer inspection they don’t seem like cartoons at all. More like stand alone drawings with notes written all around them. 

“What are these drawings for?” Isak asks. 

“They’re storyboards, for my filming project,” Even answers, while he’s pouring their drinks. 

“Storyboards?” 

“Yeah. They’re a way for me to visualise the story I’m telling. It helps me think them through.” Now Isak knows this the drawings make a lot more sense and he starts seeing the scenes unfold a little more. 

“These look cool,” he says. Even beams at him. 

“You really think so?” Isak nods and the smile Even gives him makes his cheeks flush. _Stop staring._

"You still haven't told me what your film project is about," Isak says, walking from one storyboard to the next.

“You up for this?" Isak looks up to find Even holding a joint.

“Oh yes, chill!" Isak says with a grin.

"We do have to smoke on the balcony. House rules," Even says apologetically, but Isak doesn't mind. It's a little too warm inside anyway.

They have to crawl through the windows to be able to sit on the couch that takes up the whole thing. Isak sits down on something hard. A book. He turns it around in his hands as Even crawls through the window. It’s Jurassic Park by Michael Chrighton. 

“Do you like it?” Even looks up confused as he’s trying to navigate their drinks outside without spilling. 

“I haven’t really read it yet. I prefer movies to books, especially that one. The CGI and cinematography of Jurassic Park is amazing, especially for that time period,” Even says before he sits down next to Isak and hands him his drink. The couch is so small and their legs are so long they have to hang them over the railing. _They’re actually pretty high up on the third floor_.

“You’re not scared of heights right?” Even asks, as if he can read Isak’s thoughts. 

“Scared of heights? Me? Never.” Even grins at him. 

“Good. I’ve only fallen off like two times, so you really don’t have to be afraid.” Isak just rolls his eyes. 

“Do you seriously prefer movies to books, though?” he then asks. Even nods.

“You don’t?” They soon find themselves in a heated discussion on which is better and _shit, Even does make a lot of good points_. But then again Isak is a little distracted by how close to each other they’re sitting and how whenever Even passes him the joint their fingers briefly touch. 

After movies and books they move onto music. Isak loves the way Even seems to pride himself in his huge collection of over 3000 songs and immediately goes back inside to put music on he wants to share with him.

They somehow end up talking about Nissen and all the weird teachers they have walking around ( _“Is the nipple lady even aware bras exist?”_ ) and Even has stories he can’t believe he missed out on ( _“Wait? You really had no idea the gym teacher was sleeping with a student? What?_ ”). 

Even is funny, clever, bright. And for once Isak allows himself more than stolen glances, because Even stares at him, too. They listen and stare and laugh and smoke and… Isak's heart beats faster every time their eyes meet or they touch, or he listens to Even speak. _It’s so, so overwhelming and Isak just wants more_.

The music that’s softly flowing through the open windows suddenly catches Isak’s attention. It sounds good. Better than anything else up to now ( _He can’t believe Even likes Gabrielle ugh._ ).

“Who is this?” he asks and Even raises his eyebrows. 

“You don’t know who Nas is?” It has a vaguely familiar ring to it. 

“Nas? I don’t know? Maybe?” 

“You should check out his album called Illmatic. It’s amazing,” Even says, seeing right through Isak. 

“I will,” Isak promises. 

 

“So what have you been up to since I last saw you?” They’ve been silently watching the traffic below pass by below for a few minutes now, the joint in full effect. 

“I um- went to the zoo with my friends yesterday,” Isak says. Even perks up. 

“You went to Artis? I haven’t been there yet. Was it fun?”

“You’ve been to the Rijksmuseum for over fifteen times, but you’ve never been to Artis?” Isak asks amused. Even shrugs with a smile. 

“There’s a big difference between art and animals,” he says and Isak rolls his eyes, which just makes Even laugh. 

“Did you have a good time?” Even then asks. 

“Yes. It was cool. We saw a bunch of animals I’ve never seen outside of documentaries.” 

“You watch a lot of documentaries about animals?” Isak nods. 

“I’ve been watching documentaries about pretty much everything since I was little, from space to animals to ancient Egypt. I love learning new things.” The way Even looks at him while he talks gives him butterflies. 

“What is your favourite documentary?” Even asks. 

“I know it’s more like a series, but cosmos with Neil Degrasse Tyson. Something about space just fascinates me, you know? We have so much left to explore and there are so many mysteries to unravel.” 

Isak usually isn’t this comfortable talking about stuff like this with anyone but his friends, but with Even it’s different. He noticed that when they were having dinner, too. Even somehow makes him feel safe enough to talk about things he’s passionate about, without feeling like he’ll be judged for it. _He’s falling so hard for this guy, with no way of stopping_. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that documentary,” Even confesses and Isak smiles. 

“It’s on Netflix. We should watch it together some time,” he says. _Just not right now. Not when they’re sitting on this couch so close they are constantly touching each other in one way or another. Not when Isak is still trying to allow himself to look at Even like that_. 

“Definitely.” 

 

After a while Isak can’t ignore his phone any longer. When he turns the screen on he is met with over twenty texts and missed phone calls from his friends. But, before he can read anything his phone goes off again. Jonas. 

“I think something is going on with my friends. I have to take this,” he says apologetically to Even, before crawling back inside and walking to the hallway to take Jonas’ call.

“What the hell is happening? Why have you been calling and texting so much?” he asks, trying very hard and probably failing at keeping the annoyance out of his voice.

“We um- lost Magnus,” Jonas answers.

“You lost Magnus?” Isak repeats, because what the fuck?

“Yeah um… We got high and then Mahdi wanted to go for a walk, so we went to some park and Magnus just kind of disappeared…” 

“Can’t you call him?” 

Jonas stays quiet for way too long, before he says, “We have his phone.” Isak rolls his eyes. _Really guys? Tonight of all nights?_

“Why do you have his phone, Jonas?” Another silence. “He got drunk and kept trying to call Vilde.” Are you kidding me?

“Where are you guys?” Isak asks. Jonas repeats the question to Mahdi whose answer he can’t hear. 

“Mahdi says we’re at the Vondelpark.” 

“Stay there. I’m coming.” He hangs up and curses to himself before he locks his phone. 

Even looks up from the camera equipment he’s putting in his bag when Isak walks back into his room. He looks so hot. 

“Are your friends okay?” _Friends? Which friends?_ Isak sighs and gives Even a quick summary of what his friends have been up to tonight. 

“Can I help search for him?” Even asks. _Nei! There’s no way Isak is going to introduce Even to his friends yet. He’s still too unsure of what’s happening between them and his friends might slip up in their excitement._

“No, I think it’s better if I just go,” Isak says instead. He can’t help but notice how Even looks a little disappointed at that. 

“Want me to walk you to the tram stop?” Even asks and Isak nods. _Anything to make this night last just a little bit longer._

Before they leave Isak takes one more look at Even’s room, trying to soak up every detail of it. Then he follows Even down the stairs and onto the street where they walk next to each other. 

Even is talking about canals or something, but all Isak can focus on is how once again their shoulders keep bumping into each other slightly and how his fingers touch Even’s briefly with every movement of his arms. _If he was braver he would hold Even’s hand_.

When they arrive at the tram stop Isak squints at the sign with the tram times. They have to wait for ten minutes and he’s completely fine with that. 

He can feel his phone buzz in his pocket, but decides to ignore it for now. He doesn’t want to limit his time with Even even further. 

They lean back against the railing quietly. It’s still warm from the sunny weather all day and Isak wishes every night could be like this back in Oslo. He’s really not the biggest fan of snow. 

“So tonight was fun. Unexpected, but fun,” Even says with a smile, after a few minutes have passed. 

“Yeah.” _Why doesn’t he ever know what to say?_

“I still can’t believe I forgot to ask you for your number two days ago,” Even laughs. “I’m so glad you ran into Emmanuel.” 

“Me too.” And there’s silence again. 

Isak is highly aware of how Even is getting closer and closer to him. And just like two days before Isak gets the feeling Even wants to kiss him, but instead he pulls him in a brief hug. _He smells so good._

“When can I see you again?” Isak asks in a moment of braveness, when they’re still so close in each others space and Even smiles at him fondly. _So fondly_.

“I really have to film tomorrow, but we could meet up the day after tomorrow?” Even hesitates then, before he adds, “If you want to at least?” _Are you as nervous about this whole thing as me?_

“Yes, I-“ But before he can finish his sentence the tram halts at the stop.

“See you soon!” Even says and Isak nods at him, before getting on. _Hopefully really soon._

Isak sits down and takes his phone out of his pocket. He opens his iMessage chat with Even, his thumbs hesitating over the keyboard for only a moment. 

23:58 | Isak: Tonight was amazing. See you the day after tomorrow

Then he finally opens Jonas’ messages and curses so loud an old lady a few seats away shoots him a dirty look. 

23:47 | Jonas: nvm we found him 

23:47 | Jonas: he was laying behind some bushes and is ok 

_Fucking Magnus._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love dragging my own language too much tbh. 
> 
> Anyway I need to do some adulting for the next couple of weeks, so there won't be an update for a week (maybe longer sigh) Please don't hate me. 
> 
> Once again thank you so so so much to everyone who commented and left kudos. I appreciate you all so so much.


	4. Amsterdam // 07:32

_It's too damn early_. That’s the first thought Isak has when he wakes up and sees it’s only half past eight. _I’m going to see Even again today_. That’s the second thought, and it’s enough to wake him up entirely. 

He tries to stay in bed for a little longer, but after checking his phone for a text from Even for the eleventh time he sighs and gives up. Even is probably still asleep. Everyone probably is, _except for him_. 

When he steps into the living room after showering and putting on clean clothes, that suspicion is confirmed. He can hear a faint snoring coming from Magnus and Mahdi's rooms. It's silent on the other side of Jonas' door. Isak would wake them up, but he really doesn't know if he can endure their teasing yet.

If Isak is honest with himself, he knows Even's texts are kind of lame, and yet every single one of his texts just _does things to him_. Whether it's a meme or a joke or a ridiculously good-looking selfie, Isak can't help but smile. 

The boys had noticed his good mood while they had been exploring the city the day before. They had teased him relentlessly for it. If he had to hear Mahdi say “I wonder what Isak is smiling about so much, he’s _positively beaming_ ,” one more time he was going to lose it. He didn’t even want to think about the weird and naive questions Magnus had asked. 

Nei, there is no way Isak is going to wake them up and it would be another two or three hours before they would wake up themselves. His stomach grumbles. Food. He needs food. 

The clock on the microwave in the kitchen shows it's only 8:14. _Why does time go by so slowly when you want it to go fast? And why does it go by so fast when you need time to slow down?_ This has always bothered him in a way, but especially the thought of his date with Even going by way too fast gets to him. 

His stomach grumbles again, but all cabinets are empty. He should have gotten them more food two days ago, but then again he had been pretty preoccupied… When his stomach grumbles again, he finally gives in and gets ready to go on another adventure to the grocery store. _He needs some way to fill up the five hours until he sees Even again_. 

Just like before, the Dutch grocery store is a pit of confusion for Isak, but at least bread has the same shape in most countries. Plus he figured out how to connect to the free wifi in the store and Google translate is actually a little helpful today, so it’s not _that_ bad. Although Dutch is still a horrendous language that makes his head hurt. 

Back at the apartment, the boys still haven’t woken up. Isak briefly considers making them all pancakes, until he gets flashbacks to that time he tried at kollektivet and Eskild had to use the fire extinguisher so the whole house wouldn’t burn down. He’s never doing that again. So toast it is. 

It takes until 11:19 for one of the boys to wake up. And even then, it’s just Jonas going to the toilet before going back to bed. Isak still hasn’t gotten a text from Even either. _Why does he have to wake up early on the one day everyone sleeps in?_

When no one is awake by 12, Isak can’t take it anymore. By that point he has rewatched three episodes of Breaking Bad, has eaten all the toast he made for the boys and has changed clothes like five times. He needs to get out of the house. 

Isak agreed to meet Even at Amsterdam Centraal and, even though he’s going to be 30 minutes early (which, let’s be real, is kind of a record for him), he decides to go already. He grabs the apartment keys, his phone and a snapback, and steps outside. 

When he’s on the tram, he gets three texts at once. 

12:15 | Jonas: Are you on your date yet? 

12:15 | Magnus: I smell toast but I see no toast??? The fuck bro 

12:15 | Even: God morgen. I’m looking forward to seeing you soon 

He ignores Magnus, answers Jonas with a simple “yes” and that leaves Even… 

12:16 | Isak: See you soon! 

It’s all he can muster right now. He locks his phone and puts it in his pocket, before looking around the tram. It’s busy as always, but he doesn’t see the people anymore. He sees Even. Even leaning against one of the poles, Even leaning against the doors, Even sitting on one of the chairs, his legs just a little bit too long to be comfortable. Isak likes this guy so much, it keeps surprising him. 

Before he knows it, he’s already at Amsterdam Centraal and needs to get out. He still has to wait for about 25 minutes until Even is going to be there, so he just walks around for a bit and eventually ends up at the Starbucks. He prefers the Kaffebrenneriet back at home, but until then this is going to have to do. He sits down next to the window and somehow his coffee tastes different than at home. _Weird Dutch people and their weird tastes_. 

12:45 | Even: I’m already here. Are you close?

12:46 | Isak: I’m at the Starbucks

12:46 | Even: Stay there 

It doesn’t take Even long to get there. He’s wearing a blue shirt that makes the blue in his eyes stand out and his hair is gravity-defying, as always. He smiles brightly at Isak and, while Isak is trying to get up from the impossible bar stool he’s on, Even leans in for a hug, and suddenly… their lips meet. It’s only for a second and Isak awkwardly falls off the bar stool (he was falling already anyway) and they stare at each other for a moment before Even lets out a laugh. 

“Well, that wasn’t how I imagined our first kiss to go.” 

Isak is still trying to process what just happened, his mind racing from _well, yeah, me neither_ to _he thought about kissing me?_ to _oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god to his lips taste like cherries_. It’s a lot. Like a lot, a lot. So Isak just stares at him and watches how Even takes a sip of Isak’s coffee and then turns to him. 

“Come on, we can’t miss our tram.” So Isak just follows him. Still kind of dazed, because _what???_

They have to wait for a couple of minutes at the tram stop and Isak finally find his voice again. 

“So… Where are we going exactly?” Even smiles at him. 

“A botanical garden called the Hortus Botanicus. I personally prefer the one in Leiden, but-“

“Leiden?” Isak interrupts him. Even nods.

“It’s another Dutch city. You’d like it there. Leiden has a calmer vibe and way less people.” When Even sees Isak’s blank expression, he squints at him. 

“Isak, please tell me you aren’t one of those people who think that Amsterdam is everything there is to the Netherlands?” And truthfully? Isak kind of did think that. He never really heard anything about other places in The Netherlands, except maybe Den Haag, so was that really such a strange thing to think? 

“Maybe…” he answers. 

“I honestly don’t know why I’m going on this date with you anymore,” Even says exasperated, but he can’t keep a straight face and a beaming smile breaks through, while all Isak can think about is _date, date, date, he called this a date_. The more realistic part of his brain reminds him about the accidental kiss they just shared, but…

Even bumps Isak’s shoulder with his. “Maybe we can visit Leiden next time? Do some touristy stuff like sight seeing. Get you up to date with Dutch culture.” Isak rolls his eyes. 

“Sure.” The tram arrives and they get in. 

“You know, you should really get an ov-chipkaart,” Even says as Isak is once again struggling with the ticket machine. 

“What is an ov-chipkaart?” Even shows him the blue card he used to check in.  
“It’s a public traffic card. It’s rechargeable and a whole lot less frustrating and expensive than this whole ticket thing you’ve got going on.” 

“You really have too many random Dutch cards,” Isak says as he finally rips the ticket out of the machine. Even just shrugs with a smile. 

“I like to become part of the culture when I visit a different country, instead of just being a tourist.” 

“I don’t think visiting every tourist attraction like ten times makes you anything but a tourist, though,” Isak says. Even grins. 

“Fair point.” 

It doesn’t take them long to get to the tram stop and, once they’re out of the tram, Even just leads them to where they need to be. Something in the back of Isak’s mind is still echoing _kiss, date, kiss, date, kiss_ … He’s wondering if Even is going to kiss him again soon when Even suddenly stops walking. 

“We went the wrong way,” he says with an embarrassed look. 

“You’re not that great of a tour guide after all, then,” Isak says teasingly. Even rolls his eyes at him with a sheepish smile. 

“At least I didn’t get lost.” And now it’s Isak’s turn to look embarrassed. 

It takes them another five minutes before they find the entrance to the botanical gardens. It’s hidden away in some side street, so it’s really no wonder Even took a wrong turn. If Isak had been alone, he probably would have ended up on the other side of town. 

Once again, Even pays for his ticket before he can say anything. It feels weird to have someone pay for him, but at the same time it just makes the _date, date, date_ echo a little harder in the back of his brain. 

Isak didn’t really expect it, but he loves the botanical gardens. They have so many interesting species of plants and it’s as if something in his brain just unlocks itself, letting all the weird plant facts he has apparently been gathering unconsciously spill out. Even might know a lot about art, but science and biology are Isak’s passions. 

“Did you know that lavender has been used to calm down people with anxiety for hundreds of years?” Isak asks as they walk through the medicinal plants. 

When they get to the coffee plants, Isak tells Even about the Ethiopian legend that a farmer discovered coffee, because his goats seemed to get more energized from the red berries they ate off a coffee shrub and he got a similar effect when he tried the berries as well. 

There are multiple ponds in the gardens, but one especially catches Isak’s attention. “Wow. I love the Victorian Amazonia! They’re so amazing. They can literally hold a human child afloat thanks to the curved edges. Plus, they can get even bigger than this.” 

The facts keep coming and coming, and Isak can’t seem to stop himself. Even just walks after him, humming along and smiling, and asking Isak questions. Questions like, ”What is your favorite plant species?” Isak doesn’t need any time to think about it. 

“Ferns! Ferns are one of the oldest plant species on Earth and there are just so many of them. They’re some of the earliest vascular plants, which is why they can become so big compared to their predecessors like moss. But because they predate flowering plants and seed plants, they have spores in all kinds of cool patterns on the bottom of their leaves. Every leaf is a masterpiece on its own. Ferns always give me the feeling I’m stepping back in time, you know? Especially in a fern room. It’s like a dinosaur could walk up behind them any second. There's just so much that's interesting about ferns," Isak says and suddenly he's aware of how much he's talking. _Great, Even must be bored of him already_.

"Sorry, I doubt you wanted to learn so much about ferns. I'll stop talking now," he says quickly.

"Why?" Even asks surprised, but before Isak can reply he continues, "I like hearing you talk." _Why does he keep saying things like that?_

“Come on, tell me more,” Even says, so Isak complies. They walk around for another few hours finally ending up in the area for carnivorous plants, which Isak would rather skip. 

“What? No facts about these?” Even asks. Isak crinkles up his nose. 

“I don’t like carnivorous plants. They weird me out. The idea that plant matter can eat meat...” He suppresses a shudder. 

"You love lions, but you dislike carnivorous plants?” Even asks laughing and Isak’s heart skips a beat, because _he remembers_. But of course Even would remember. Even is the kind of person who remembers small facts about people that others would pay no mind to. 

“Are you ready to leave?” Even asks and Isak nods. He’s hungry and, although he loves every plant equally, he’d rather have some deep fried potatoes to devour than anything else. 

“Are you tired of me already or are you up for grabbing a bite together?” Even asks as they walk out of the gates.

“I’m starving,” Isak answers with a smile. 

They end up getting fries and having an impromptu picnic in one of Amsterdam’s many parks. Even is watching Isak while he eats, just like he has been watching Isak all day long. It had been easier to ignore in the botanical gardens, because Isak had gotten so lost in the facts and stories he was telling Even, but now he is highly aware of Even’s slightly amused gaze following his every move. 

“Why do you keep doing that?” Isak’s eyes widen as he realizes that he said it out loud. Even just raises his eyebrows at him. 

“Do what?” As if he doesn’t know. Isak shifts around on his spot on the ground uncomfortably for a second. _Fuck it, there’s no turning back now that he said those words out loud._

“The staring at me the whole time thing,” Isak says. Even grins. 

“You are very interesting to look at, Isak.” Isak can’t stop the blush that’s spreading on his cheeks. _What does that even mean?_ He finds himself asking those questions a lot… And he knows the answers to them if he’s honest with himself. He knows Even likes him, but it makes him unsure. He isn’t used to people he likes liking him back. 

Isak opens his mouth to say something, anything really, but before he can get a word past his lips a soccer ball hits him straight in the face. He doesn’t know what’s worse: the blood gushing out of his nose in every direction, the girl who keeps yelling “sorry, sorry, sorry” and talking to him in Dutch, or Even who is asking him if he’s ok and making him pinch his nose closed and tilt his head backwards. _Why does this shit always happen to me?_

They end up going to Isak’s apartment, which is only a five minute walk away from the park they were having their picnic in. By that point, all Isak wants is for the ground to swallow him up whole. _Why, why, why?_

By the time they are inside, the bleeding has stopped, but literally everything—including Even—is covered in the stuff. _Why, why, why?_ The only good thing is that there’s no one else home. Isak is pretty sure the boys were planning to go out with their tinder dates again. 

“I’m so, so sorry,” Isak says once again, while they’re standing in the hallway. Even smiles.

“It’s not your fault that your face is apparently a great target,” he says, and Isak almost laughs, except it’s still _so embarrassing_. 

“I’ll get you a clean shirt,” Isak says, and Even looks down at his shirt as if he hadn’t noticed the blood that’s smeared all over it. 

“Oh, yeah, good plan.” Even just pulls the shirt over his head like it’s nothing. 

“I’m going to clean up my face in the bathroom.” Isak basically flees into the bathroom. When he looks in the mirror, he cringes. _How is it even in his hair?_ He takes the quickest shower he has ever taken, because Even is still somewhere out there and he doesn’t want him to wait or come looking for him. 

Which, of course Even does. And obviously Isak forgot to lock the door. So when Isak is stepping out of the shower with nothing but a towel around his waist and Even comes in, Isak isn’t even that surprised. _As if he hadn’t embarrassed himself enough already_. 

“Oops, sorry!” Even says as he pulls the door closed again. Isak just groans. 

“Can I use the shower after you?” Even asks from the other side of the door. 

“Yeah. I’ll be done in a second.” Isak sighs. He hates how high pitched his voice gets when he’s nervous. All his clothes except his boxers are covered in spots of blood. He didn’t even think he bled that much. He puts his dirty clothes in the hamper and takes a deep breath. Walking past your crush in nothing but your underwear. _Fun_. 

Isak opens the door. Even is leaning against the wall and Isak can’t help but note how he gives him a once over. Isak has to use every bit of willpower he possesses not to use his arms to cover himself (not that that would do much anyway). 

“The towels are in the cabinet on the left. I’ll get you some clean clothes while you’re in there.” Even nods. 

“Thank you.” He takes a step forward at the same time as Isak does and suddenly they’re only inches apart. Even looks at him and Isak isn’t sure what to feel, so he just moves to the side to let him pass. He can finally breathe again when Even closes the door behind him. 

Isak gets dressed and finds Even a clean shirt. That’s the moment it hits him. Even is in his house. Even, the boy he is most definitely crushing on really hard, is in his house. What could they even do after Even is dressed? Should he do the laundry? Will Even stay over? What if the boys come back while Even is there? He’s so not ready for his friends to meet the guy he hopes he will maybe date at some point. 

He grabs his phone and texts his friend. 

20:03 | Isak: Where are you guys?

It takes ages for them to respond. 

20:04 | Jonas: Pregaming with the tindergirls. We’re going to a party with them later. Want to come with Even? I can text you the address

20:04 | Magnus: These girls are soooo hot Isak you’re really missing out 

20:05 | Isak: No thanks 

If the boys are out with the tinder girls it’s going to be a while before they’re back, so if Even wants to stay over, he can without the possibility of them meeting. This calms him down at least a little bit.  
When Isak goes to put Even’s clean clothes next to the door, he hears him singing 5 Fine Frøkner. _Again? What a dork. He’s not even in tune with his posh Oslosk._ He lets Even know where the new clothes are after he put them down and then just goes to the living room to play a stupid game on his phone. 

It takes Even way too long to get out of the shower (at this point Isak has lost like five times in a row at the game and has given up), but when he does so in Isak’s white shirt and with hair that’s somehow still amazing, Isak instantly forgives him. 

“Sorry I was in there for so long, but I love your shower! Ours has a huge hole in the ground and a super weak stream,” Even says, only sounding slightly apologetic. He sits down next to Isak. 

“So… that was an experience. Is your nose okay?” he asks, and Isak just nods. 

“Yeah… It’s fine.” They sit next to each other like that for a few seconds, the awkward silence growing between them, until Isak can hear Even’s stomach grumble. 

“Hungry?” he asks and Even nods with an awkward smile. 

“Yeah, I kind of didn’t get to finish my dinner, because someone had to be hit in the face by a soccer ball, so…” 

“Come on, let’s see if my friends left any food behind,” Isak says as he gets up, trying very hard to ignore the warm feeling spreading all over his face. 

By some kind of miracle, the boys actually left a bit of food behind. It’s just pasta with bolognese sauce from a jar, but it’s enough and there’s no way Isak can mess this up (he hopes). Even sits down on the countertop, watching him and asking him questions about his favorite food and his cooking skills. It’s just distracting enough that Isak lets the pasta boil over. He’s pretty sure that somewhere in Oslo Eskild is making a face at him right now. 

He has to reach over Even to get to the colander, and for a moment their faces are so close that one of them only has to move a little bit closer and they’d kiss. It stops Isak in his tracks, and he nearly closes the distance between them, too, except his phone goes off, breaking the moment. He grabs the colander to drain the pasta, trying his best not to look up at Even who most definitely is looking at him. 

After he empties the contents of the pasta sauce jar in the pan and making sure it was hot enough, Isak grabs two plates and started to load the pasta on the plates. Even got off the countertop and came closer so they were standing side by side looking at their dinner. 

“Looks good,” Even noted. 

“Yeah…” Isak looked at him. He wanted to kiss him so bad, but he didn’t know how. Even turned towards him. 

“Isak?” 

“Hm?” 

“I really want to kiss you now.”

“I really want you to kiss me, too,” he says, and before he can think about how silly that probably sounds Even’s lips are on his. Again the cherry taste… Even’s lips moving softly on top of Isak’s makes his stomach erupt in butterflies and instinctively his hands go through Even’s perfect, perfect hair. _Even, Even, Even. Everything is Even_. 

Isak has no idea how long they stand there like that, engulfed in each other’s smell and taste. Touching, smiling, breathing in each others air. It’s long enough for their dinner to get cold. 

They only stop because Even leans on one of the plates with his hand, covering it in pasta sauce, and Isak has to jump back so Even doesn’t get it on him, because “I just showered, thank you very much.” Even just laughs and washes his hands. 

They move to the couch where they eat what’s left of the pasta. When the plate is empty, Isak is the first to close the distance between them. Soft kisses turn into a make out session. He had no idea the taste of cherries and bolognese pasta sauce go so well together. 

The windows are wide open and let in a soft breeze, but it’s still too hot inside. Skin on skin, lips on lips… it’s almost too much, but Isak only wants more and more and more. 

He hears his phone go off, and although he really, really, _really_ doesn’t want to break apart, he hasn’t forgotten about the last time he ignored his phone and decided to focus on Even instead, so with a groan he pulls back. Even raises an eyebrow at him. 

“Had enough?” he asks jokingly.

“Not yet,” Isak answers with a grin before finding his phone somewhere between the couch cushions. It’s a text from Mahdi. 

23:42 | Mahdi: bro, just a heads up. We’re back in 15 mins. Jonas fucked up with the girls.

Isak groans. He’d expect stuff like this from Magnus, but Jonas? He wonders what his best friend could have done to accomplish this feat. 

“What? Did your friend get lost behind some bushes again?” Even asks. 

“I wish. They’re coming home.” Even looks just as disappointed as Isak feels. 

“I’m going to guess this night is over then?” he asks and Isak nods. 

“I’m sorry, I’m just…” 

“Not ready for me to meet your friends. It’s okay, Isak. I get it.” Even says it with so much kindness and understanding it makes Isak feel warm inside. 

“Thank you,” he whispers, before continuing, “Want me to walk you to the tram stop?” Even smiles. 

“Yes.” Even seems to know Isak isn’t completely ready for pda without him saying so, because before he opens the door Even is pushing him against it, Even’s lips finding his. 

“I just wanted to give you a proper goodbye,” Even says and then he pulls him outside by grabbing his hand. They don’t hold hands for long and Isak is so unbelievably grateful Even understands. 

At the tram stop, they only have to wait a minute or two before Even’s tram arrives. 

“So… When can I see you again?” Even asks, as they hug and his lips brush against Isak’s neck. 

“Tomorrow?” Even nods. 

“Tomorrow.” Then Even’s tram is there and he is getting on, leaving Isak alone at the tram stop. He has to stop himself from touching his lips, where he can still feel Even’s lips on his. 

_Fucking hell, that guy is a good kisser._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoopppsss so "it's going to take a week for me to update" turned into 2 and a half weeks. Pls don't hate me!
> 
> Once again thank you all so so so much for all the kudos and comments!!!! You're all amazing!!
> 
> Also special shout out to hjernen_er_alene for giving me the idea for the hortus botanicus!!!


	5. Amsterdam // 11:08

11:08 | Isak: god morgen 

11:11 | Even: god morgen sunshine 

11:12 | Isak: Hardly. My head hurts.

11:12 | Even: I told you you should have drank more water 

11:13 | Isak: I drank two bottles of water before sleeping

11:14 | Isak: Magnus decided that it would be a good idea to wake me up by banging on pans 

11:14 | Even: I really want to meet this Magnus person some time

11:15 | Isak: I’m going to shower brb

11:37 | Isak: What are you doing today? 

11:37 | Even: Filming. Didn’t I tell you yesterday?

11:37 | Isak: Oh right. I forgot haha

11:37 | Even: I’m heading out now. Talk to you later 

\--

14:27 | Jonas: Don’t forget the toothpaste! 

\--

17:12 | Even: I just got invited to a party. Want to come? 

17:24 | Isak: I can’t :( the boys are dragging me along to the club tonight

17:25 | apparently I’ve been spending too much time with you 

17:25 | Even: :( 

17:25 | Even: and yet it never seems like enough 

17:27 | Isak: Økgzmv hylekx

17:28 | Isak: sorry dropped my phone 

17:28 | Even: phones are so slippery ;) 

17:29 | Even: Emmanuel says hi

17:30 | Isak: You’re eating Argentinian again? 

17:31 | Even: of course 

17:31 | Isak: say hi back 

17:31 | Even: he asks how you’re doing 

17:32 | Isak: I’m ok. How is he? 

17:32 | Even: I’ll ask him when he brings my food 

17:33 | Isak: how was filming?

17:34 | Even: really great! Everything is finally coming together and I’m so excited 

17:34 | Isak: You still haven’t told me what your film project is about

17:36 | Even: Food is ready! Talk to you later

\--

19:32 | Magnus: Isak why don’t you invite Even to go clubbing with us?

19:32 | I want to meet him 

19:33 | Isak: Magnus you’re literally in the living room just come to my room if you want to talk

19:33 | Magnus: it’s so far away

19:33 | but? Even? Invite him?

19:34 | Isak: no

19:35 | he’s going to a party

19:35 | and why do you want to meet him so bad anyway

19:36 | Magnus: is it so weird I want to know the dude you’re fucking?

19:37 | Isak: bye Magnus 

\--

Isak knows he shouldn’t worry, especially not after they kissed only two days before, but… Even hasn’t texted him since dinner time and it’s already ten _and they texted all day when they weren’t together before, and what if he’s already losing interest and maybe he shouldn’t have pushed Even_ … He just doesn’t understand why Even is so vague about his film project. 

“What do you think of this group Isak? They have a gay friend, too!” Isak’s thoughts get interrupted by Magnus pretty much shoving his phone up Isak’s nose while Mahdi and Jonas just groan. 

“Not interested,” Isak says, shoving Magnus’ arm aside without even looking at the screen.

“He has Even now, Magnus.”

“I know, I know. I just figured that maybe for tonight he could make out with someone else. I mean it’s not like they’re exclusive.” 

“I don’t know. Are you exclusive?” 

“We’ve literally just kissed and-” 

“Fucked!” 

“Magnus, please shut up.” 

“Do you think he’s serious about you two?” 

“It might just be a summer fling…” 

“I don’t know,” Isak finally interrupts them. It’s too much. It’s way too much, and this time not in a good way. “Please just drop it,” he says, looking at the beer bottle in his hands. He’s in no way ready to even think about how serious this could become. 

“Fine. But we still have to find a group of girls to hang out with,” Magnus says as he starts swiping through the Tinder group profiles again.  
\--

21:21 | Even: are you still alive?

21:21 | Isak: Barely

21:21 | Even: my offer to come to the party I was invited to still stands 

21:21 | Isak: I might take you up on that 

Isak loves his friends. He really, really loves them. They’re the greatest and always have his back and he couldn’t wish for better friends. He just… loves them a little less when they’re all dancing around and kissing girls, while he’s on the side lines watching them.

Magnus managed to find the one group of girls that also had a gay girl, but she bailed out after five minutes of watching their friends dance around, leaving Isak on his own. He couldn’t blame her. 

21:22 | Isak: what is the address?

21:23 | Even: spuistraat 109 

It’s not far. Isak can walk there. He just has to find one of the guys to let them know. But, in the three seconds it took Isak to text Even and find the address on Google Maps, all of them disappeared. 

It takes him a full fifteen minutes to finally find Jonas. He’s sucking face with one of the Tinder girls, and Isak almost feels bad for pulling his best friend aside to tell him he’s leaving. Almost. 

When Isak is outside, the first thing he does is take a deep breath. The club they met the girls at is crowded and cramped, and he’s glad to be outside. He prefers the parties at home, where there’s always some place private where he can hide out with his friends if it gets too busy. 

Time to walk. He didn’t expect to like Amsterdam this much. It’s busier and louder and more colorful than Oslo in many ways, but that’s what makes it exciting. It’s still hard for him to be himself back at home, but here he feels like he can be truer to himself. Mostly because of Even.

When he rounds the corner to the Spuistraat, he stops in his tracks. It’s busy. There’s some concert going on and people are dancing. _How will he ever find Even in this mess_? 

22:01 | Even: are you here yet?

22:01 | Isak: just got to spuistraat. Where are you? 

22:02 | Even: Search for prik. That’s the bar we’re in 

Isak walks past it three times before he finds the bar. The outside of the bar is black and pink, except for the rainbow flag which proudly hangs next to the entrance. _A gay bar_?

He worms his way past the people standing on the terrace and goes inside, where it’s a little calmer. It’s also a whole lot pinker inside. He’s ready to turn on his heels when he hears someone calling his name. Even is waving him over from one of the tables on the side. There’s a girl with long brown hair ending in red tips sitting next to him. She’s wearing glasses and gives Isak a curious look. 

“Halla,” Even says as he pulls Isak into a hug. He smells good. A cologne he hasn’t had on before that makes Isak’s stomach fill with butterflies. 

“Halla,” he answers. 

“Isak, this is Daria. One of my roommates. Daria, this is Isak. The guy I told you about,” Even says in English. Daria gets up to shake Isak’s hand. 

“Isak Valtersen.”

“Daria Liepiņa.” She has an accent he can’t quite place, but it instantly makes Isak feel more comfortable. At least he’s not the only one with an accent (Even’s English is perfect after all). 

“Daria is from Latvia,” Even says, as if he can read Isak’s mind. 

“Oh. Cool.” 

“And you’re from Norway, like this one here?” Daria asks, teasingly bumping shoulders with Even. 

“Yes!” Even motions him to sit down. 

“They have some of the best cocktails in town here,” Even says with a smile. He’s not wrong. One amazing cocktail after the other gets brought to their table as they talk about anything and everything. 

Daria is studying biochem at the university of Amsterdam, and when Isak finds out he can barely contain his excitement. They talk about Daria’s opinion on studying biochem, their favorite science facts and a few studies that came out recently.

“I read a study about how mental illness can literally alter the brain physically. Did you see that?” Isak asks. He sees Even perk up in the corner of his eye. He hasn’t really had much to add to their conversation until now other than the occasional “oh interesting” and “that sounds cool, can you explain it a little further?” 

“What do you mean?” Even asks. He has a certain look on his face that Isak can’t quite read. 

“They did a ton of brain scans between neurotypical people and neurodivergent people. You could see the differences between um… ‘healthy’ brains and ‘unhealthy’ brains,” Isak says, air quoting the words _healthy_ and _unhealthy_. “The differences are so significant. People with depression have less brain activity than people without, for example. In obsessive compulsive disorder the control centers get overused, which also shows up in the brain scans. You see the same with people in a manic episode. Their whole brain lights up like a Christmas light, because it gets so overstimulated. I think it’s really cool.”

“Cool?” Even asks. He is still giving Isak that unreadable expression. 

“Well… not cool exactly, but you know, I think it’s interesting how this will hopefully change the way people act towards people with mental illness. Because it shows it’s really something they don’t make up, but something that is physically wrong in their brains.” 

The study had helped Isak understand his own mentally ill mother a bit more. It had helped him to stop blaming her for things she literally had no control over. He was grateful for that, but also felt ashamed. If it weren’t for the study, he still wouldn’t have been talking to her, and to him that felt unforgivable. He shouldn’t have blamed her to begin with. 

“Because-”

“Let’s go dancing!” Daria suddenly stands up, interrupting Even and nearly knocking over the glasses on the table. When Isak looks back at Even, he’s smiling at him, the previously unreadable look completely gone. 

“Are you up for dancing?” he asks. Isak’s first instinct is to say no, but fuck it, they’re in Amsterdam and no one knows him here anyway, so he takes Even’s outreached hand and they walk outside. Here Daria is waiting for them and before he can say or do anything she has grabbed his hand and is pulling them both through the crowd of people already dancing to the concert outside. 

They stop somewhere in the middle of the moving crowd. Isak feels so out of place, while Daria and Even are both already dancing and having fun. He’s not that great at dancing to begin with, and next to Even who seems to feel so comfortable and moves so beautifully to cheesy songs, that feeling only increases. 

Then there’s the whole thing where Even is most definitely a guy and he just… doesn’t know how to dance with a guy without it feeling weird. It bugs him to feel like this. He wants to be able to dance with Even, _but what if anyone says anything_? When Even touches him, he has to suppress the reflex to get out of his each. Even notices immediately and pulls him in. 

“It’s okay, Isak. Look around you. You’re safe here,” he half yells in his ear. When Isak finally allows himself to really look around, he immediately sees what Even means. There are gay people dancing, touching, making out all around them. Two older men are in an embrace not that far away from them, dancing way too slow to the music. A bit further, two girls are giving each other pecks in between jumping around, and there are people in drag everywhere. No one is paying attention to Isak or Even, who is holding his hand and giving him an encouraging smile. _It’s okay_.

“Let’s just dance,” Even says, just as the DJ starts playing a way slower song. _Let’s dance_. He mouths the words back to Even who grins and pulls him closer. They dance, and dance, and dance. Sometimes together with Daria, sometimes just the two of them. It’s fun to dance with a guy. More fun than Isak could have ever imagined. Even makes him feel like he can actually dance. 

At some point during the night, Daria spots some girl she’s crushing on in the crowd and disappears after her. This leaves Even and Isak alone and, although Isak definitely likes Daria a lot, but he likes being alone with Even more. 

When he’s sure no one is paying attention to them, Isak even kisses Even. It’s soft and it doesn’t last long, but the look Even gives him when he steps back is enough to make his heart beat a million times faster. 

Even pulls him closer again and says, “Feel like making out in an alley?” and Isak can’t hide his blush, but _oh he does_! So instead of answering, he just grabs Even’s hand and starts dragging him through the crowd, until Even suddenly stops. 

He’s staring at three girls who are being surrounded by a group of five drunk guys, trying to touch them. The girls look scared and Isak can hear one of them very pointedly tell the guys they’re lesbians and not interested.

“Oh baby, I’ll turn you straight in no time,” one of the guys says, while grabbing his junk and thrusting forward. _Disgusting_. Even and Isak move forward at the same time. They’re both just a bit taller than the guys.

“Hey guys, sounds like these girls aren’t that interested. You might just want to move along,” Even starts friendly enough.

“Mind your own business, dude.” 

“Come on, baby, I just need your number,” one of the guys says.

“There’s no way I’m giving you my number, you creep.” The guy tries to make a grab for her, but Isak grabs his arm before he can. 

“You can have my number if you want, cutie,” Isak says, and he’s not even sure where the words are coming from, but it has a great effect. The guy rips his arm out of Isak’s grasp.

“I’m not fucking gay, fuck off.”

“You’re really at the wrong party if you’re not gay, you know, cause this,” Even pulls Isak towards him and kisses him in front of everyone, “is a very gay zone,” Even continues between kisses. 

“You guys are sick,” one of the guys yells.

“Oh darling, you should really get that internalized homophobia checked out,” one of the drag queens just walking past responds. 

“I think you should leave,” Even says, with a smile. The guys grumble something, but then they walk away. 

“Thank you,” one of the girls says gratefully.

“No problem. We were glad to help.” The girls head deeper into the party, while Isak takes Even’s hand and they go in the opposite direction.

“Do you feel like getting ice cream?” 

Fifteen minutes after, they sit down at the only ice cream shop still open at two in the morning. Isak gets hit with a wave of exhaustion. Even got a bubblegum ice cream which is currently staining his lips bright blue, while Isak got coffee. 

“You know what would be cool? If I could invent a new ice cream flavor,” Even says, as he’s taking another scoop out of his cup. 

“What kind of flavor would you create? Aren’t all flavors invented yet?” 

“I don’t know. Not all of them I think. You can make ice cream flavors out of everything, even stuff like sesame seeds. That’s actually really good. Have you ever had that?” 

“Sesame seeds?” Even nods. 

“It’s Japanese. You like sushi right? Isn’t your instagram name isakyaki?” Isak looks up. He doesn’t remember telling Even about his Instagram.

“Did you stalk me?” he asks teasingly and Even’s eyes widen a little, but then he just gives Isak a smile and raises his eyebrows. 

“Maybe.” Before Isak can process this information they’re kicked out of the ice cream store because it’s closing. 

“So, where do you want to go now?” Isak asks softly.

“Home,” Even answers. The night had to end some time… Isak knows this, but it’s one of those nights he wishes would last forever. He has a lot of those nights with Even. 

“Oh, okay.” Even smiles at him.

“With you.” Oh. Oh. 

“Okay.” 

“Let’s walk.”

They talk about anything and nothing for a while, but eventually there’s a silence between them. Isak notices Even is looking at him with a thoughtful look. 

“What?” Isak asks. Even hesitates for a moment.

“Do you think that if you can’t see someone’s mental illness it isn’t real?” It takes Isak a bit of time to process what Even just said.

“No. Well, not anymore at least. My mother is mentally ill. She constantly thinks the world is ending and my uncle is Donald Trump, and I used to think that she was just crazy, but now I know something is really happening in her brain and I guess that made me realize how foolish I had been about it all, you know, and…” Isak realizes he’s rambling and Even is giving him the same look as he did when they were at the bar.

“Has she been diagnosed with anything?” Even just asks. Isak nods slowly. 

“Yes, she is schizophrenic.” That sentence still feels weird in his mouth. After he learned about her diagnosis, he had whispered it to himself a few times, while he was laying in bed in the middle of the night. It made his heart clench. 

“Is she doing alright?” 

“She’s… in a mental health facility right now. I visited before I left for Amsterdam and she seemed kind of better, but…” It’s a hard topic for him to talk about and he hates how his voice suddenly sounds cracked. 

“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Even says with a soft smile as he laces his fingers with Isak’s. 

“Thank you,” Isak whispers as they continue walking. 

(writers note: listen to RY X - Only (spotify // youtube) and this together for the next part)

They’re fifteen minutes away from Even’s apartment when the rain begins. It starts with a few drops that Isak isn’t quite sure he even felt, but before they know it it’s raining so hard they are drenched in seconds. They take shelter in a tunnel under an apartment building as thunder echoes through the near empty streets. 

The downpour clears away any of the background noise so all Isak hears is his own laughing mixed in with Even’s. _It’s beautiful. Everything is so beautiful_. Without thinking about it, he grabs Even’s dripping shirt and pulls him closer for a kiss. It’s electrifying. There’s only Isak and Even and nothing else. They’re alone, they’re smiling, they’re happy. 

Even pushes him against the wall and it’s so good. How did I ever survive without your lips on mine? Even’s hands are all over him and he lets his hands wander, too. In his hair, over his shirt, under his shirt, in his neck, on his ass (which makes Even pause for just a second to wiggle his eyebrows at him). They’re pulling and tugging at each other and wow do they need to get to Even’s apartment fast. 

Isak grabs Even’s hand and together they run, screaming, laughing and pausing to kiss in the rain, because at this point they’re wet anyway so it doesn’t matter anymore. They stumble inside and are dropping clothes in every direction. By the time they’re in front of Even’s door, Isak feels like he’s going to explode. 

Even opens the door and they kiss, kiss, kiss and shuffle around and again against the walls until they finally find Even’s bed somehow in nothing but their underwear. They crash on the bed and Isak hits his head against the wall, because of course he does. 

“Fuck, that hurt,” Isak whispers, but he quickly forgets the pain, because Even is kissing him again and he’s ready for more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So....... this took me a while. I'm sorry. I hoped you liked anyway. As always thanks so so much everyone who left kudos and comments. You're all amazing.


	6. I'm discontinuing this story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SORRYyyyYYYyy

Hey guys! 

So... First of all I just wanted to thank everyone who has left kudos, commented or subscribed to this story. I have some sad news... I'm discontinuing this story. I love Isak and Even's trip through Amsterdam with my whole heart, but I kind of lost the motivation and inspiration needed for me to continue this story (I might still somewhere in the far future but for now...)+ I started working on my own original story ([if you're curious, I'm uploading a chapter a week on tumblr over here.](https://thenoaproject.tumblr.com)). As I haven't updated this story in ages I figure most of you saw it coming. 

Before I'm ending it I wanted to show you the outline I had planned for the rest of this story though. (please note that for the chapters where Even is manic I talked with people with bipolar waaaay before writing a single word) 

Chapter 6  
In this chapter Isak and Even have a soft day, making out in bed for hours and hours and then deciding to watch a movie together, which Even obviously critiques heavily afterwards. 

Chapter 7  
Even takes Isak on a trip through Leiden, and Isak being the grumpy idiot that he is gets in the wrong train and ends up lost again. 

Chapter 8  
In this chapter they finally go to the Nemo museum and Isak nerds out all day! 

Chapter 9  
The boy squad is missing their tall grumpy member so they drag Isak along shopping. Jonas gets a text about the videos resurfacing again. 

Chapter 10  
Isak and Even have a talk about Oslo, and it turns out Even knew all along who Isak was!

Chapter 11  
Isak finds Even's unopened acceptance letter from film school. Even was too scared to open it, so now they do it together. Turns out Even got accepted. They celebrate by going to a festivals with the boys. 

Chapter 12  
Even takes Isak to his favorite spot at the beach. By this time Even has been slowly going manic and he ends up leaving Isak alone in the middle of the dunes because he has a surprise to prepare. Except he doesn't come back and Isak has to find his way back home alone. 

Chapter 13  
Isak flies out the next day. Even turns up at the airport, but by then is fully caught up in his manic episode. Isak ends up learning about Sonja and goes home with the boy squad. 

Chapter 14  
Magnus explains about bipolar disorder on the plane back. Isak gets some guru advice from Eskild. 

Chapter 15  
Life continues like normal for Isak until Even somehow gets his hands on his number and they start texting. Jonas and Noora get together (this was written before S4 oops)

Chapter 16  
Isak has a job at KB with Eva. Even and Sonja walk in and are all coupley, leading Isak to break off all contact with Even. 

Chapter 17  
Isak is sulky, Even keeps calling but not texting. Isak texts him to stop texting him, because "you're with her" and Even answers with "not anymore." 

Chapter 18  
Another run in with Emmanuel at the grocery store. Emmanuel gives Isak Even's address "just in case". Isak asks everyone for advice. Ending in text “fuck I just don’t know what to do” 

Chapter 19  
Isak freaks out and finally gets the balls to go to Even who is with friends he kicks out (ala Isak end of episode 7 lol) 

Chapter 20  
Isak and Even have a soft day where they actually talk through their shit (Sonja, Even being bipolar, their relationship) 

Chapter 21  
This is the last chapter and it's some time later where they're on another vacation where they're very happy, sun kissed and in love. 

I'm reaaaallllyyyyy sorry about discontinuing this, but yeah life man. I have a business to manage + am starting school next week + a vlog + [my original story](https://thenoaproject.tumblr.com) so it's sadly just too much.

Thank you again so much for supporting this story!! I hope you have an amazing day. 

(feel free to come yell at me about how horrible I am for stopping this over at tumblr [here](https://thatpretentiousdesignstudent.tumblr.com/)

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah... those two are both such nerds. This will be updated once or twice a week! 
> 
> Please let me know what you think and come find me on [Tumblr](http://noorasevas.tumblr.com).


End file.
